Perry: Obama climate comments "outrageous"

Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

/ Pool,AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Texas Governor Rick Perry responded Monday to criticism by President Obama regarding his position on climate change, calling the president's remarks "outrageous" and suggesting Mr. Obama was exploiting the fires for political purposes.

"It's outrageous President Obama would use the burning of 1,500 homes, the worst fires in state history, as a political attack," Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan told Politico via email. "This from a president whose nation is financially suffering and his solution is taking more money away from families by raising taxes on families and small businesses."

Mr. Obama on Sunday took a swipe at Texas Governor Rick Perry for his skepticism regarding climate change, pointing to "a governor whose state is on fire denying climate change" as exemplification of the weakness of the Republican presidential field.

"I mean, has anybody been watching the debates lately?" he asked at a campaign fundraiser in California. "You've got a governor whose state is on fire denying climate change," Obama said.

The president also called out audience members from two recent GOP presidential debates for their responses to sensitive moments in the debates.

"It's true," said Mr. Obama. "You've got audiences cheering at the prospect of somebody dying because they don't have health care and booing a service member in Iraq because they're gay."

"That's not reflective of who we are," Mr. Obama continued. "This is a choice about the fundamental direction of our country. 2008 was an important direction. 2012 is a more important election."

Perry, whose state has recently been ravaged by a series of wildfires, has suggested that climate change is a hoax - and that the data surrounding global warming has been manipulated by climate scientists for financial gain.

At an August event, Perry said "there are a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling into their projects."

"I do believe that the issue of global warming has been politicized. I think there are a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling in to their -- to their projects," Perry said. "And I think we're seeing almost weekly or even daily scientists who are coming forward and questioning the original idea that man made global warming is what is causing the climate to change. Yes, our climate's changed, they've been changing ever since the Earth was formed."

In his remarks, Mr. Obama urged Democrats to "push back" against news organizations that provided  "inadequate information."

"And in some cases I may need you to have some arguments with our progressive friends," he said. "We're going to have a stark choice in this election... But I have to make sure that our side is as passionate and as motivated and is working just as hard as the folks on the other side because this is a contest of value. This is a choice about who we are and what we stand for and whoever wins this next election is going to set the template for this country for a long time to come."

[isanyonefair]

Perry famously issues an executive order to have everyone pray for rain this summer.

Maybe if the executive branch did its job better they may have reduced the chances of deaths & fire loss.

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/09/28/power-company-sued-after-massive-texas-wildfire/

The Government has a role ... and it is NOT to push faith.

[hsinco-2009]

And praying!

[elmgreen11]

That's not his real hair.

[sleepership]

The science of climate change is very clear- sadly becoming even more refined and frightening

Perry is living in the past- not able to take on the challenges ahead because he is tied to the rich and business class who wants to keep things as they are.

Change is coming- despite Perry and the right wing.

[MemeMine]

Fellow Liberals:

Our Pledge:
We must trust the carbon trading markets and corporations and politicians to manage the temperature of the planet.
We must call it consensus even though all of the thousands of consensus scientists all have their own special, personal and unique views of CO2 climate crisis.
We must trust the good and trustworthy politicians who promise to lower the seas and make the weather colder by taxing the air.
We must continue to believe in climate change crisis despite Obama not even mentioning the crisis in his state of the union address.
We must believe in climate change even though the number of consensus scientists vastly outnumbers the marching climate change protesters.
We must believe in climate change h e l l and spread our love for the planet as we condemn billions to a CO2 death just to make sure the kids turn the lights out more often and vote progressive when they reach voting age.
We must believe even though the thousands of consensus scientists refuse to march in the streets themselves. Don't they have families to save too?

[MemeMine]

ALGORE is my shepherd; I shall not think.
He maketh me lie down in Greenzi pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still-freezing waters.
He selleth my soul for CO2:
He leadeth me in the paths of self-righteousness for his own sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of reason,
I will fear no logic: for thou art with me and thinking for me;
Thy Gore's family oil fortune and thy 10,000 square Gorey foot mansion, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a movie in the presence of contradictory evidence:
Thou anointest mine head with nonsense; my fear runneth over.
Surely blind faith and hysteria shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of ALGORE forever.

[MemeMine]

The CO2 mistake was another Bush like false war, only for libs this time, and for religion, journalism, and all of science and civilized humanity itself. And isn't it ironic that it was scientists who "denied" the dangers of their pesticides, you know, the pesticides that poisoned our planet in the first place, apparently. Billions of children were falsely condemned to a CO2 death knowingly, so let's get the charges over with sooner than later:
U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001
By Phone: Department of Justice Main Switchboard -202-514-2000
Office of the Attorney General Public Comment Line -202-353-1555

[MemeMine]

Climate change is Liberalism's Iraq War of neocon like lies and fear mongering and you pansies have condemned billions of children to a CO2 death like childish cry babies and this modern day witch burning of climate blame will keep you climate cowards out of power for decades. Keep yappin. Keep condeming our kids to CO2 death and keep crying THE END IS NEAR like neocon bible thumpers while we watch you all fade off into history.
So long.

[MemeMine]

Perry wasn't reminded by any of his advisers that Obama never even mentioned the "crisis" of climate blame in his state of the union address after 25 years of the scientists crying THE END IS NEAR?

[memphispiano]

I am not a Perry fan, but I HATE when the news media distorts anyone's position whether they be conservative or liberal. The man has NEVER denied "climate change"...he has strictly questioned the evidence of whether man is causing it. And no matter how much you might be convinced, there are numerous scientists that question this and it is documented (by CBSnews and others) that there have been scientists who manipulated the data to get funding for their pet projects. I think it is only wisdom that we sort through the smoke before we make any actions that will put people out of work (i.e. if you outlawed coal tomorrow, tens of thousands of people would be out of work). Let's sort out the propaganda so we can do this right.

[Excalibrationist]

I mostly agree, memphis.
To put some things into perspective, if my car needed a tune-up, I, like most people, would take it back to the dealership's garage or any other certified mechanic for repair ....because they know more about the mechanics of my car than I do.
When the "non-scientist", Al Gore, writes of Global Warming, 31,487 American scientists, including 9,029 with PhDs, have signed a petition tharting Former Vice President Gore's claim:
http://www.petitionproject.org/

...sorry, but I tend to go with the scientists!

[Excalibrationist]

by dzaffina September 27, 2011 12:34 AM EDT
and perry has no problem spending those federal tax dollars collected. instead of using the stimulas money texas received for jobs and schools, he used it to balance the state budget. texas has already received way more federal money from fema than any other state, and that was before the recent fires. which perry conviently cut the texas fire budget by 75%, so he could call in federal fire fighters and neighboring states fire fighters and let them pay for his cuts. yea perry is the big dog at the federal teat, he has applied for and received more fema aid since he's been governor than any governor in history.
=======================================================================
Governor Perry has attained resources that are available to every governor of each of the 50 states (...or is that 57 states, honey child??). I would say that is intuitive, inventive, and inspirational thinking on the part of a governor who is watching out for his people.

Also, why don't you tell the whole story where Governor Perry has slashed 75% from the budget of the "volunteer fire departments" ....not the Texas Mainstream Fire Control Departments:

http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/09/texas-cut-fire-department-funding-by-75-percent-this-year/
Incidentally, he had to "slash" 75% from budget of the Texas Volunteer Fire Departments as a direct result of "Obama's Depression"!

Inasmuch as Governor Perry producing jobs .....here you go:
"Texas has done a fine job of adding to its employment numbers. Since June 2009, which marked the official end of the recession, until July 2011, the number of jobs increased in the state by 328,000. Nationally, the job growth in that time period was 697,000, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That means Texas jobs made up 47 percent of the national net job creation."

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/08/texas-size-recovery/
If it weren't for Governor Perry, the National Unemployment picture would present double-digit figures!